Sunstein and tastes
Reading framework (collectively due 5/22 by noon) Fill out the following framework What is the problem Sunstein examines in this chapter? "Sunstein's central question is whether emerging social practices, including consumption patterns, are promoting or compromising our own highest aspirations." (Pg.119-120) He also examines our choices and freedom in order to determine any relationship. Sunstein asks the same questions for citizens and consumers. And how do the answers relate to the question of whether, and how government should deal with people's emerging power to filter speech content. Sunstein, Cass R. Republic.com. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2001. What is Sunstein's argument? Sunstein's basic claim is that "we should evaluate new communications technologies, including the Internet, by asking how they affect us as citizens and not only by asking how they affect us as consumers" (Pg. 119). Sunstein, Cass R. Republic.com. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2001. What are the suggestions he makes? Sunstein makes two suggestions. He first suggests that what people prefer is constructed through social circumstances, such as what has been made available to them, influences from social circles, and past decisions. These opinions and preferences are not innately part of us, but are chiefly born through social interactions and constructs. His second suggestion is that as citizens, individuals often try to make different decisions than what they would as a consumer, particularly in more selfless policies. They are often consciously aware of these choices they make. Sunstein, Cass R. Republic.com. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2001. Freedom "Many people seem to think that freedom consists in respect for consumption choices, whatever their origins and content. The central goal of a well-functioning system of free expression is to ensure unrestricted choice. This helps ensure a self governing citizenary, by depicting a particular persona upon the citizens, that we do not have to be enemies, instead be partners in this self governing society." (Pg.121)Sunstein, Cass R. Republic.com. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2001. Consumption choices Many individuals define freedom according to "consumption choices." In accordance with this viewpoint, the main goal of a "well-functioning system of free expression" is rooted in unlimited choices and options for consumers. Further, private property and freedom of contract have important influence on the choices the consumers themselves make. They allow individuals to create their own preferences to base decisions upon, and are substantially important to free societies. Sunstein, Cass R. Republic.com. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2001. Formation of desires "Obvious that a free society is generally respectful of people's choice but freedom imposes certain preconditions ensuring not just respect for choices but also the free formation of desires and beliefs." (Pg.121) Preferences and beliefs are a product of existing institutions and practices. Sunstein, Cass R. Republic.com. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2001. Foxes and sour grapes Sunstein makes the analogy of the fox and the sour grapes. The fox cannot acquire the grapes, so he says that they are sour and decides that he does not want them. "The unavailability of the grapes is the reason for the preference of the fox." This is true as well for consumers. If there is something that is unattainable, an individual may decide that he does not want it to begin with, and bases his preferences on something else. The consumer can mold his or her negative opinions solely based on deprevation or lack of availability of a resource, not his or her experiences with that source.Sunstein, Cass R. Republic.com. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2001. Citizen role (not his exact wording) "A nation's political choices could not be understood if viewed only as a process of implementing people's desires in their capacity as consumers." (Pg.127) People might seek to implement their highest aspirations when they do not do so in private consumption. These goals may fulfill altruistic desires as a citizen within a community, vastly differing from their personal desires and needs. There is a concern for others, as well as the public.Sunstein, Cass R. Republic.com. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2001. Consumer role (not his exact wording) As a consumer, people base their thoughts, words, and actions chiefly upon self-interest. Though in their "citizen role" they are looking out for what is best for the "common good" or the public, consumer roles are grounded upon a more self-oriented way of thinking. Any example the text highlights says that an individual may support more serious coverage of news issues (their consumer role), while in reality, as a consumer, they prefer to watch reality TV (their consumer role). Sunstein, Cass R. Republic.com. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2001. Consumption treadmill With improved opportunities to find goods, consumers are always trying to buy more because they want to stay updated and keep it with others. Though often these improvements are made for a better experience with a piece of technology (the text suggests a computer, for example--image trying to use your old PC from 10 years ago!) or an improved good, often individuals are often spurred to purchase "new and improved" products not to improve their well-being, but simply to improve amongst social rankings. Social comparison is highly influential when discussing the consumption treadmill.Sunstein, Cass R. Republic.com. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2001. Section heading (individually due 5/23 by class) Look at your own music browsing habits and examine whether you engage in behavior that prevents sour grapes from forming. (Be sure to consider what you now know about the structure of the radio and recording industry. ) Edward Hill analysis Description- Youtube as just about anything a music listener would like to hear. I like to listen to alot of old and new rap music. Analysis- i use youtube for most of my music browsing because it is quick and easy. If i don't know the name of the song and I can use keywords or the artist name to find the song. Youtube also doesn't cost anything so i'm saving money too. Interpretation- I don't have trouble finding music so there for i don't have to change my mind about using youtube in the first place. The example of sour grapes is that the grapes the wolf wanted could not be had so therefore he decided they were sour and he didn't want them. For me if i couldn't find the song i wanted i would change my mind of listening to it or i would go to another site to try and find it. I use youtube for the mainstream music because thousands of people like the same thing i do and its easy to find what i'm looking for and there's multiple options to pick from if the quality of the music isn't good. There's always someone who has a channel take fits me perfect, but some of the underground music is hard to find. Evaluation- The abundance of music that can be found on youtube keeps me from engaging in the sour grapes metaphor. I use youtube because there's so much music out there and nothing seems to be unavailable to me when i search for it. With everything being available to me, it makes my browsing experience enjoyable. I also use another mixtape site when i need the full mixtape or i want to listen to underground rappers. Engagement- I will continue to use youtube because the diverse uses of it(watching health videos, movies, games, etc.) keeps me from engaging in sour grapes and i don't have to abandan my music searches beacause i can't find something. I use the tool of converting youtube videos into mp3 and in the past it wouldn't work because some were trying to get rid of it, because i liked the feature so much i helped youtube by signing the petition it wanted everyone to sign in order to continue to use the youtube converter. Lauren Olson Analysis Description: Unfortunately, I spend little to no time seeking out music that fits my own interests. In the summertime, I drive a significant amount of time daily--driving out to IPFW to classes, driving to my two jobs, and driving to my lake house. During these times, I am constantly listening to the radio. Because I really enjoy country music, I spend the majority of my time listening to Fort Wayne's top two country music radio stations. Analysis: As previously stated, I do not spend any time doing further research upon the country music or artists I listen to; I simply write songs down in a small notepad I keep in my car's cup holder when I hear ones I enjoy on the radio. From here, I either buy these songs on iTunes, or add them to my Spotify playlist. These are music seeking patterns I stick to highly regularly. In fact, they have become highly habitual for me. When I enjoy a song, I write it down, and add it to my computer at the end othe day. Then, whenever I'm at my computer, I listen to my iTunes music library or Spotify playlist that I have been continually adding new files to that I enjoy. Interpretation: I use the radio as my main source of enjoyable music and top artists, because country radio stations are supposed to play "top" and "most popular" hits. Typically, hit music tracks are well-liked by a vast majority of listeners, so I feel that my chances of enjoying these songs are high too. Much higher, in fact, than me going through CDs that artists produce, or attempting to do vast research to find artists that I'd enjoy. Convenience is a huge contributing factor to my music selection, because I'm constantly in the car, where the radio is readily available, and is always providing me with new "top" songs that I, too, enjoy. Evaluation: This process certainly allows me to keep up with "up and coming" artists, new albums released, and top hit songs. When I attend country music concerts, or listen to country music with my friends, I've typically heard the songs played--chiefly because of their popularity and air time spent on the radio. Keeping up with country music radio certainly makes me feel "in the know" with country music. In addition, my writing down popular song titles that I hear on the radio and adding them to my at-home music playlists allows me to further my familiarity with the pieces and learn the lyrics. On the other hand, my music browsing habits keep my selection highly limited. These two country radio stations in Fort Wayne often only play "top songs" that are recently popular; rarely do they go back and play old hits, or take risks and play songs outside of the "Country Top 40." In a few instsances, friends or family have lead me to country songs that are by no means considered "popular" or "Top 40," but many of these pieces of music they have taken the time to seek out have become my favorites. Had I more time, I would love to be able to go through various artists' albums and choose my own favorite tracks to listen to regularly--instead of chiefly the radio's choices on best country music of the week. Engagement: To engage in this process, I am constantly adding new country music songs to my list, which I am then converting to my computer. This process happens just about every day, in fact. In addition, I love listening to music whenever I work on my computer, so I continue to engage with the tracks I choose from the radio. To further my engagement in the future, I hope to spend more time seeking out the albums and singles produced by some of my favorite artists I listen to on country music radio, in order to find songs I deem likeable not solely due to their popularity amongst the masses, but due to their quality and likeability according to my own personal standards. Courtenay Dibble Analysis Description: I listen to a lot of classic rock and Latino music. However due to my friends I do tend to listen to different types of music such as electronic, pop, classical, blues. I tend to spend most of the time listening to rock and Latino. Analysis: In order to find new songs that I have not herd of or that are being released I use Youtube. The reason why is because this site allows for easy search and new songs that are released can be found there. Another internet site that I use is Pandora, this internet radio site will play some of the biggest hits of the genera. This way I can find out as well what songs I have not heard of before, and what new songs are being published. Interpretation: The way I look for music does create some sour grapes. This is because when I search for music it is for a specific type. I do not do a massive search on music because I am not a fan of some types such as country and rap. Due to my habits of listening I tend to search only for what I want and songs and artists that are similar. but the search engines that I use Pandora and Youtube tend to “open’ my horizon of music a bit. Youtube as a list of songs on the side of the screen, that tends to be very random. I do go and check that out to see what is out there. This way my search behavior for music is changed for a little while. When listening to Pandora to a station that plays only my music once in a while Pandora, as most radio stations will play a random song that does not really belong to that genera. This way I can be introduced to a new song that is from a different type of music. Evaluation: The process that I have created to find music of my liking seems to work. I search to what is interesting to me through different sites that give me that satisfaction of choosing for the most part what I wish to listen to. There are boundaries on this, of example listening to classic rock there is nothing new coming out. These limits my search abilities as most popular songs are already out there and the artist will not create anything new. However while searching for songs that are similar to that type, I can be introduced to new artists that have the same style (Latin music) or come from the same era (classic rock). Engage: As I like to listen and search for new songs and download them I can continue my habit of choosing and looking for music of my liking though internet sites. This allows me be active with music that is pleasing to me. By being engaged in this I can come across new songs that will lead me to new artist of that genera that I can come to enjoy listening to Eli Rhée analysis Description—The style of music that I listen to varies. Not necessarily by my own choice initially, but I’ve grown up spending a lot of time with very different people—my friends from school, my parents, my sports friends, people at church, work friends—so I’ve become accustomed to most types of music and can adapt and enjoy most music. The type of music that I’m most likely to listen to is indie, Top 40, rap, and religious music. Analysis—I often feel as though I don’t need to seek out new music to expand my tastes. I hear new music from different genres when I’m around my friends, or at work. I use an app on my phone that tells me what the song is and logs it, and when I get home I add it to a Spotify playlist, and if I really want it, I’ll buy it from iTunes. I also use Pandora and when a new artist that I like comes up, I’ll check them out. I’m sure that I could probably expand my music tastes if I really wanted to, but I’m content with this system. Interpretation—I am guilty of sour grapes syndrome in a way because I don’t listen to every style of music. Many I feel aren’t worth checking out because I enjoy the music that I do have and I feel like I have enough and don’t need to expand. Within the styles of music that I do listen to, however, I feel like I am able to find new music, though not usually through my own seeking out, but through friends, work, and online radio stations like Pandora. Evaluation—My process of finding music suits me pretty well. I am able to listen to a variety of music through friends or at work and I can find new music easily. I don’t listen to every style of music or engage in every method of discovering new music, which can be limiting. I’m sure that there is plenty of music that I would enjoy and is worth my time, but I just don’t do enough discovery. My practices are what suits me the best. Engagement—This is a frequent and a constant process for me. I am consistently updating a list on my phone with new music that I need to check out or download. At work we get new music pretty frequently, so I can always find music that way, and the variety of music that my different circles of friends listen to also help me to discover new music and add to my own playlists. Kyle Hettinger Analysis Description: My favorite kind of music is rock. I listen to all sorts of rock music, classic, alternative, and on rare occasion hard rock. I listen to my iPhone for music. So I listen to a lot of the same music every day. I also listen to Pandora very often, however I only subject myself to a couple of channels. Analysis: When I find new music it usually is heard on Pandora since songs come up randomly. I also find new music fitting my genre at concerts; opening bands are a great way to find new music. The first time I ever heard the Black Keys was at a concert in Indy, when they opened tor Kings of Leon. Interpretation: I don’t think that my habits for searching for music create sour grapes. For the most part I can have whatever music I seek out. I can download or listen to whatever I can find, and everything else is not unavailable just unknown. If I cannot get it, it is because I do not know about it. If I do not know about it I cannot desire it. There is however one instance that I can think of and this is on iTunes. Sometimes when I look up music on iTunes I find songs that cannot be purchased unless I were to buy the whole album. If I do not want the whole able I will then find that particular song to be undesirable. Evaluation: My process for finding music works well for me. I tend to find new music often. There have been occasions where new genres of music seem appealing to me as well. I now like blues music and jazz. I even sometimes open up to rap and pop on certain occasions. So my way may be the best way ever! I disagree with the notion searching for music creates any sour grapes. Engagement: Engaging my process will be something I do on a daily basis. In fact when I leave for class today I will put Pandora on and listen all the way up to the classroom door. This will always keep me active in finding new music. Mara Knapp Analysis Description- The variety of music I tend to listen to consists of Christian music, country, R&B, 80's music and other random songs from different genres. I listen to Christian, R&B and country via the radio when I'm driving. 80's music tends to play at my workplace which I always enjoy. My browsing habits typically consist of finding new original artists on YouTube within the genres that I listed above. Sour grapes is the tendency to avoid or dislike something for the mere inconvenience, lack of accessibility or familiarity. Analysis- The music I appreciate the most is anything that will challenge me to be a better person or to love people more. I enjoy listening to things that reflect my values. I believe I am guilty of the sour grapes effect for just enjoying what I like and not exactly having an interest in expanding my habits of music browsing. I tend to be pretty open; the only music genres I refuse to listen to are screamo and vulgar rap because I either cannot understand it or do not appreciate its content. Interpretation- I believe my "sour grapes syndrome" can be beneficial to my character, as well as, hindering to to my music literacy. The fact that I most often listen to music that builds people up and avoid secular degrading messages builds a nice foundation for a consistently positive perspective. On the other hand, asking "so what?" has made me realize that sheltering myself from other artistic expressions of music robs me of an opportunity to appreciate many genres and inhibits my ability to expand my music literacy. I also do not listen to music without words because I value the message music has to offer. On the other hand plain instruments can be soothing, relaxing, and a wonderful expression of talent. Evaluation- Expanding on my interpretation of my "sour grapes syndrome", I believe it can be good and bad. Sheltering myself from listening to trash helps me to remain who I am, because I do think music can shape our perspectives. It also can possess the negative ramifications of overly-sheltering me to the point of possessing little to know music literacy, which is rather unfortunate. I also have a dislike for technology obsessions. I do not care much for it, therefore I do not go out of my way to explore iTunes, Pandora or other music outlets on a frequent basis, which only inhibits my learning. Engagement- I could make more of an effort to educate myself on musical technologies and the convergence of songs in various genres throughout history. Exploring rock, oldies, and songs from different decades could be a growing experience. Overall, I believe abandoning my habit of expressing sour grapes within my music browsing habits could be a growing experience and an opportunity to develop a new love and passion for various forms of music. At the very least I could obtain a broader appreciation for the musical arts. .